What To Do Instead of New Year's Resolutions

Once again it is that time of year for New Year's resolutions.  Quite frankly I wouldn't make one.  Large or vague goals are hard to keep and tend not to last long. Then you get discouraged and give up.

So, why am I blogging about this?  Every day I advise families about healthy habits that they need to adopt for a healthy child.  Unfortunately I have to give a lot of advice all at once since I may only see your child once a year.  Do I really expect you to make all those changes at once? No, I am in fact delighted when I see a patient who tells me that they have been able to make a small change and stick with it.

Instead of New Year's resolutions I would recommend making small goals throughout the year.  Once one thing is accomplished then move on to something else.  For example instead of the goal of eating healthy tackle one step at a time.  Some examples of goals to make instead would be to eat at home one meal a week more or eat one extra serving of fruits/veggies a day or replace 1 can of soda with a cup of water instead. 

It takes 30 days for a new behavior to become a habit.  If you can incorporate the change into your existing routine it will be easier.  Also if everyone at home can make the same change there will be less arguments.  ("Why does Dad get to drink soda and I don't?")  And if you tell others about your goals or have them join you then you will feel accountable and are more likely to stick to them.

Feel free to ask me what my current goal is that I am working on when you are in the office.  Also, share with me your recent successes.  We love to hear about them!